Always the Quest
by Flora Winters
Summary: While in his grandfather's attic one Saturday afternoon, Terry fumbles across an old leather bound book and falls into an alien world of high adventure with the Pirates of Dark Water. Language, MM, OC, Violence
1. Chapter 1

ALWAYS THE QUEST

Flora Winters

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Pirates of Dark Water and I'm not making any money here either. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

**SUMMARY:** While in his grandfather's attic one Saturday afternoon, Terry fumbles across an old leather bound book and falls into an alien world of high adventure with the Pirates of Dark Water. **Language, MM, OC, Violence**

**CHAPTER ONE**

The truck windows were down and Cyndi Lauper was belting out over the radio airwaves as Terry headed towards his grandpa's house. His dad wanted him to clean out the attic ever since his grandpa's funeral. He'd had plans to hang out with his friend's at the mall, but his dad had drawn the guilt card and cut him up and down with it real good. He was lucky he wasn't delirious from the blood loss.

He didn't see why he had to be the one to clean out the attic all alone. Some of his other cousins could have pitched in to help as well. It shouldn't just have to be him. Yes, he was very close with his grandfather. He was probably closer to the old man than any of the others, seeing as how he was practically at the man's house every day. In fact, his grandpa's death had been really hard on him. Harder than most thought or even knew. He kept it all to himself because he didn't want to appear weak in front of anyone.

Unfamiliar faces greeting him, candles in the background, the sickly sweet smell of funeral roses, pictures of smiling Grandpa before the ivory casket. It had been completely overwhelming and yet he'd gotten through it without shedding a single tear where anyone could see him. He had saved all of his emotions for when he got behind the locked door of his bedroom.

He ran a slender hand through his strawberry hair and looked in the rearview mirror with a sigh.

"_When you get to your grandpa's," his dad said, handing him the keys to the truck. "Go to the grandfather clock in the hallway beside the door to the attic. Open it up and taped to the back of the pendulum is something your grandfather has had hidden just for you for all these years. He didn't want any of the damn vultures getting their hands on it. Plus, everyone of the family hates that clock, so nobody wanted it."_

He had no idea what his grandfather had left for him, but the mystery appealed to him because he'd never expected anything from the old man. The poor guy hadn't had much, except for his wild tales. Every night before bed he got to listen to tales of fearsome pirates and magical treasures that could save an entire world.

"_Tell me more about the prince, Papa," he remembered himself saying, hugging the sheets around his head, peeking out with big green eyes. "Did he really turn into a dragon and scare away the pirates?"_

"_Of course he did!" His grandpa had laughed, ruffling his wild, wacky hair. "He scared those pirates so bad, most had to drink themselves to death in order to go to sleep again."_

The sweet memory caused him to laugh as he pulled into his grandfather's driveway and parked. He hopped out of the truck, slamming the door shut behind him and looked up. His grandfather's house was two stories and now looked rundown. The yard looked really bad because it hadn't been mowed in a month and the storm from the other night had blown off several shudders. Seeing the state of his grandpa's house made him feel terrible inside. The whole place had been severely neglected. His grandpa would be so mad.

Walking through the yard had him on edge because he was terrified he might be snake bitten. That was the last thing he needed to do on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. He popped in the key in the slot and inside he went, completely dumbfounded as he walked around.

The house looked as if it had been gutted.

"VULTURES!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, storming through like a whirlwind. He couldn't believe how empty the house was. Everything was gone and glass was all over the ground where some things had been broken in the hurry to vacate with treasure.

Even the curtains had been taken. He tried the lights, but the power had been cut off. No need in paying unnecessary bills.

His breath caught in his throat and he immediately ran from the sitting room and down the long hallway. The grandfather clock was still where it had stood for the past sixteen years he'd been alive.

Terry opened up the glass door and got down on his knees. He reached behind the pendulum and there was in fact something taped to the back of the time keeping device. It was an envelope with something about the size of a silver dollar inside.

He carefully opened the faded envelope and inside he found a small letter and what looked to be some kind of jewel. He made his way back to the living room where there was sunlight to see and sat down in the middle of the floor.

In his palm there appeared to be a silver dollar sized ruby with a pea sized emerald in the center. It was attached to a leather cord.

"This can't possibly be real," he whispered, watching how it gleamed in the light as he held it up to the window.

He quickly opened up the small letter and his eyes widened.

_This is for you, Terry. In this jewel lies the shining future of a world where you can be happy. I knew this treasure was meant for you from the moment I saw your eyes. You don't have to be afraid anymore, Grandson. Your pappy knows all about it. I just wish I could have made you comfortable enough to talk about it with me. _

Terry felt his eyes sting. "You knew?"

_In the attic, behind your grandmother's dresser, there is a secret panel in the wall. Push in and up. Take what is inside. It is for you. Believe me. You will discover something far more precious and far more wonderful than all the riches in this world. _

Terry cocked his head to the side.

_Now, put the jewel around your neck and open the door. I love you._

Terry read the letter over and over, feeling his grandfather all around him. He could hear his voice plain as day reading the letter to him.

He carefully folded the letter up and placed it in his back pocket before placing the jewel around his neck. He tied the leather string into a knot and wore the shining jewel as a choker.

He ran down the hallway to the door leading up to the attic. His grandfather had only trusted his dad with the key to the attic door. Nobody else was allowed to enter the attic and from the looks of it they sure as hell had tried.

The first key opened up the door which allowed one access to the stairs leading up to the attic. The stairs groaned and moaned with every step he took. Nobody must have used these stairs in years. He could practically feel the dust just waiting to make him sneeze his head off.

He fumbled with his tiny flashlight and finally got the second key to open up the attic door. The door screeched like a banshee, causing him to jump and nearly fall down the steps. He peeked his head inside and his eyes widened. He had never been in the attic before. As far as he knew, nobody but his grandpa and grandma had ever been in this attic.

The windows were lined with dust, but sunlight was streaming through the glass illuminating the whole place. Dust covered sheets covered all kinds of hidden things. He wanted to look at everything, but he quickly went about finding his grandmother's dresser. It would be up against a wall.

It took him no time to find it. It was the most beautiful cherry wood dresser he'd ever seen. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was no telling how much it would be worth on the market in this day and age. It was a true antique.

He braced himself, grabbed hold of the edge, and pulled with all his might. It scraped across the dust covered floor and he was damn near eaten by the dust bunnies. They attacked without mercy and he sneezed twelve times before running over to open up a window to get fresh air in. He sucked air into his lungs and wiped his runny eyes before putting his shirt up over his nose so he wouldn't breathe all that dust in again.

He searched the wall behind the dresser and found what his grandpa said he would. He put his hand right up to the secret panel and he pushed the wood in and up. The wood gave way, and inside was what looked to be a really old book. He pulled it out and blew the dust off the cover and quickly hid his nose back down his shirt.

The book looked ancient and the writing on the cover was something he couldn't make out. It was like some kind of alien script, nothing he had ever seen before in his life, and he'd seen runes and hieroglyphs. In fact, the feel of the book was different. It didn't feel like any leather he'd ever touched before. The creepy thing was; it even felt warm.

He got back to his feet and walked over and sat down before the open window. A slight breeze ruffled his garnet locks as he opened the cover. The book suddenly pulsed in his hands like a beating heart and he dropped the book with a yelp, jumping to his feet.

Alien script began to glow across the pages as they flipped in a wind that wasn't coming from the window. All of a sudden, Terry could hear the sound of ocean waves and he could even smell the salty surf. A strong breeze blew him back a step and then it started pulling him forwards. Thunder echoed all around him, yet the sun was shining.

The jewel around his neck began to glow fiercely and where the book had been was a swirling vortex of brilliant blue energy. White sheets flew in the air all around him like ghosts as he was sucked towards the hole in the ground.

He tried to reach for anything to grab hold of to steady himself, but a sheet hit him right in the face, and he spun around full circle falling over backwards right into the swirling vortex of cerulean lights. He fell so far and so fast he wasn't even able to scream.

**To be continued…**

_Please do take the time and review. I greatly appreciate it._

~Flora~ 


	2. Chapter 2

ALWAYS THE QUEST

Flora Winters

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pirates of Dark Water and I'm not making any money here either. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

SUMMARY: While in his grandfather's attic one Saturday afternoon, Terry fumbles across an old leather bound book and falls into an alien world of high adventure with the Pirates of Dark Water. Language, MM, OC, Violence

**CHAPTER TWO**

The remote island of Banjamaar is like a stone shield. The entire island is protected by a wall of flying boulders ranging in various sizes. These magical boulders were spelled centuries ago to protect the island from malicious invaders. These spelled boulders can be seen flying for miles above the island and even hundreds of yards below the sea. They spin faster than a cannon ball being fired and destroy virtually anything they come into contact with. The only way to get passed them is to cast a water breathing spell and swim below the boulders, use magic to manipulate the boulders, or magically teleport directly onto the island. All of which could be extremely dangerous as well. One could be eaten by any manner of flesh eating sea beast, one loose boulder smashing you, or wind up teleporting inside of a wall. If only a certain little band of misfits knew this.

"Well, there goes that bright idea," the six foot pirate with a scar across his right cheek groaned as the slightly smaller blond prince crawled up off him. They had just been bombarded by magical flying boulders because they had tried to get through a narrow opening in the field. "There are always the thirteen treasures, Ren. How about we skip this little side quest and just go round them up instead?"

"Oh, forget the treasures already, Ioz!" Ren snapped, blue eyes flashing with molten fire as he glared down at the pirate. He was going to do this. The vision of the his father in the sea had told him that by ringing The Bell of the First Sound all of the Dark Water would be destroyed. "I told you, our quest ends on Banjamaar."

Tula struggled to her feet and ran her hands through her dark hair. "So may our lives if you aren't more careful," she said, holding onto the ship railing. "You need to calm it down."

Ren was about to snap at her when Niddler suddenly came squawking up out of the sea, landing right in front of them. "Get the hell off of me, you slimy airheads!" The monkey-bird yelled, ripping air filled squids from his rainbow plumage. "I've been tossed into the sea far too many times to count today. I'm sick of this shit!"

"Niddler!" Ren yelled, causing the monkey-bird to jump with another loud screech. "You're a genius. These critters are filled with air." He quickly snatched one from off him. "These are going to let us breathe underwater."

Ioz and Tula just looked at each other. The pirate cocked a brow. "He's lost his mind."

The blond jumped up onto the railing and looked back at his companions. "Drop anchor!" He said, smiling as bright as the sun in the distance. "We're going in!" He placed the air filled sea creature over his handsome face and dived straight down into the sea with royal grace.

Tula rolled her green eyes. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Ioz shrugged his shoulders. "Once that kid gets an idea into his head…" He ran to drop the ships anchor before following after Tula and Ren.

Niddler made a horrible face before plopping a squid down over it. He jumped back into the water for the sixth time that day. Getting his feathers wet always made him cranky.

Ren was a great swimmer. Growing up on a beach and living in a lighthouse had taught him much. He could swim in the most dangerous of waters. But, these waters were surprisingly calm and warm. Looking behind him, he made sure his friends were following. Reaching that bell was their main priority. One ring-a-ling and all this chaos would be over with.

All manner of colorful sea life swam around him as he swam underneath the spinning boulders above. He couldn't get over how simple this was.

_It is almost too easy, huh? _The little voice in the back of his mind whispered common sense. He shook his head and continued swimming towards the island, kicking his feet as fast as he could. _The compass belonged to my father. The compass summoned my father from the waves. He would never lie to me. This bell will save Mer and restore Octopon. _

Swimming by some flowing green kelp, Ren kicked his way towards the bright surface. He was the first to reach it and pulled the squid from his head and sucked in much needed fresh air. He let the little creature go and climbed out of the water and onto a large rock and laid there on its warm smooth surface just as his friends came up.

"Hurry!" Ren shouted down at them, rising from the rock. "We gotta get to that bell."

"You need to slow your ass down, Ren," Ioz said, pulling the squid from his head and letting it go. "I don't think that bell is going anywhere. For all we know, it might not even be here anymore."

Ren shook his head. "It is here," he said with strong conviction. "My father said it was, so it is." He jumped off the rock into the shallow water and walked up onto the beach.

Tula quickly followed after him. "Slow down, Ren," she said, grabbing hold of his arm. "We don't know who might be here. We could be in danger."

"Great!" Niddler chirped, rolling his eyes. "She said the D word. Now we're doomed."

Ioz dunked the monkey-birds head underwater and waded towards shore after the other two. Niddler broke the surface with a curse and flapped after them.

Ren suddenly remembered how much he hated walking around in wet boots, but it couldn't be helped. They needed to get to that bell as soon as possible.

"How about we dry off first?" Niddler asked, landing beside the blond. "No need in getting sick when we're so close to victory, right?"

Ren silenced the monkey-bird with a look and raised his hand in alarm. "Someone is out there." He drew his blade. "Come out! I don't like being watched!"

Two humanoid males appeared from out of the shrubs. "Intruders!" One was tall and thin and the other was short and squat. The smaller of the two waved what looked to be some kind of tuning fork staff and a pink beam of energy struck Ren right in the chest, lifting him up off his big feet and into the air where he floated.

"Put me down!" He yelled.

That was when Ioz immediately raced forward with his sword drawn with promise of violence. "I suggest you let my friend down nice and gently before I make sure you never play such a sweet sound again."

"Is that so?" The taller of the two asked, waving his staff. "I highly doubt it."

All four of them were now suspended in the air by visible pink wavelengths of honey sweet sound. Ren glared down at them. "You're making a mistake. I am Ren, son of King Primus. He sent me here."

"SILENCE!" The taller of the guards said. "You will be taken before our leader. He will listen to what you have to say."

The guards turned their backs and began walking away. All four of them were floating along after them because of the pull from their magic staffs. Ren floated cross-legged and mad as hell. Ioz bumped into him, causing him to yelp and spin full circle and nearly kicking Tula in the face.

"Watch it!" She cried, pushing Ren away from her.

He bumped back into Niddler and Niddler's beak ended up right in Ioz's groin. The pirate made a pained face and grabbed the monkey bird and shoved as hard as he could. With a loud squawk, Niddler's back struck the back of Ren's head, sending him spinning again.

All four yelled and fussed at each other all the way to the city of Banjamaar.

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Ren was suddenly told to keep his mouth shut. The head of the Banjamaarian Militia was looking at him with eyes of dark obsidian. That gave him a moment to really take in his surroundings. All of the buildings were tall and alien to him. Towers, spires, and regular looking homes all spread out and meshed up. But, in the very center of the city was an extremely tall, bell shaped structure with a yellow glass dome at the top.

"This is not possible," the chief of Banjamaar spoke, shaking his head before everyone present at the assembly. He pushed the head of the militia away from him. "King Primus had no son!"

Ren narrowed his eyes, but spread his arms as to look unimposing. "But, I am his son," he said, willing them all to believe him. He even thought about batting his eyelashes, but he thought better of it. "I swear, and his spirit sent me here to ring The Bell of the First Sound so that I can destroy the Dark Water once and for all."

The chief's yellow eyes widened with fright and whispers suddenly filled the entire square. Ren noticed how everyone was looking at the tallest building behind them. It was even shaped like a bell.

"Do you see that, Ioz?" Ren asked.

"The trouble you've gotten us into?" The pirate asked.

"No!" Ren elbowed him in the stomach. "That building they're all looking at. I bet you the bell is kept there."

"Quiet!" The chief shouted, lifting his staff. "I am afraid you've made a grave mistake, boy. There is no Bell of the First Sound." His eyes narrowed once more into slits. "But, there is a penalty for trespassing. I order them to be taken to the Still Room." He struck his staff against the ground and all four of them were once again hit with a sweet humming they had no choice but to obey.

"But, Ren is telling you all the truth," Niddler said, pleading with them. "He is the son of King Primus. Monkey-bird's honor."

Ren dropped his head with feigned defeat and sighed. "Someday someone is going to believe me."

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"But, what if he is telling the truth?" The head of the militia asked the chief, eyes following after behind the four intruders.

"It is impossible," the chief said, scratching his chin. "And it doesn't matter anyway. Primus would never put the bell in jeopardy. You know that. We all know that." He looked towards the building that housed the cursed bell. "For if that bell is ever rung…we're all doomed." He threw his arms up into the air. "Doomed! Doomed I say!"

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Ren and his crew very quickly found themselves placed inside an odd looking cell with no bars to keep them contained. All four were underneath a strange bell shaped device that was so large it had to be held up by four iron pillars. At their feet were small round holes in the metallic floor. When the guards left the room, Tula was the first to speak.

"I wonder why this is called The Still Room." She said.

Niddler turned his head and chirped. "Because we'll _still _going to be in here when we're dead."

"Well, I don't intend for us to stay that long," Ren said, moving a small step backwards. Just as he moved, golden bars of light sprung up from the holes at their feet, blocking any hope of escape. It happened so fast, he hadn't even had a chance to blink his blue eyes. "What in the world?"

"The sound of movement sets off the bars," Tula said, loving that her question had just been answered for her. "If we all keep still, they'll vanish." Ren stilled himself and the bars vanished just as quickly as they had appeared.

Ioz scratched his chin and swiftly drew his sword. He swung it as fast as he could and with all his might. His sword struck golden bars, and he nearly fell over from the force. "Damn that's fast!"

"Got any more bright ideas?" Niddler asked the stunned pirate.

"Tula!" Ren said. "Can you use your ecomancer powers to free us?"

Tula put her fingers up to her temples and closed her eyes. "I can try my best."

Ren watched as the dark headed ecomancer began to glow a vibrant blue in color. Swirls of crackling energy began to seep from her pores, winding down and around her body to the floor at her feet. The energy slithered across the floor, plugging up a few of the holes, keeping the golden bars from popping up as they made their escape.

"Quickly!" Ren shouted as he ran out from underneath the cage device. Ioz and Niddler followed and Ren turned back around for Tula. "Come on, Tula." He said as she was floating several inches off the ground slowly moving towards him as she struggled to keep the bars from trapping her. "Just a little further he said," reaching for her. "Closer, closer…" He caught her in his arms just as she was about to fall over backwards. "Good work, Tula. You're the best." He helped her to her feet and made sure she was steady enough to walk.

"Can we please get out of here now?" Niddler asked, pointing towards the open doorway. "Those earheads could come back at any second."

Ren nodded, leading the way.

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Ioz leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms across his chest. "Are you sure about this, Ren? I still say the thirteen treasures is the way to go."

Ren peaked around the stone wall, and looked straight at the building all the people had been looking at prior their arrest. "I am certain the bell is being kept in that temple." He began to move quickly.

"Why would the chief lie about it?" Tula asked, following him.

"Why would my father lie?" Ren responded.

"Those are some awesome questions," Niddler chirped, keeping himself low to the ground as they snuck their way closer. "But, can we please discuss them back at the boat?"

Ren shushed him. "We're almost there." He ducked behind a shrubbery and poked his head out. There was a guard with his back to him standing right in front of him. The blond rustled the bush and the guard spun around, pointing with his staff.

"Who's there?" He asked, stepping closer.

Ren grabbed the guy and quickly pulled him into the bush, knocking him out with one swift punch. He handed the guard's staff to Ioz and they all ran for the temple steps.

"HALT!" A loud voice shouted from the top of the steps, leading to the entrance of the temple. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

Ioz laughed and banged the staff against the ground. "I'm going to have some fun with these clowns. You all go on ahead." Energy struck the two guards lifting them up high in the air. Ioz had them both spinning round and round as he laughed. "How do you fellows like it? Huh?"

Ren, Tula, and Niddler raced into the temple as quickly as they could. It was massive and the hall was long and lined with metallic arches. "There!" Ren shouted, pointing ahead of them. "There is The Bell of the First Sound!"

It was huge. It had to be over fifty feet high.

"Is it really being held up by that tiny little string?" Niddler asked, sounding very nervous as Ren ran underneath it. "If it falls, we'll be trapped forever."

Ren grabbed hold of a tuning staff that was on the ground and ran back out from under it. Tula saw the face of the winged beast on the bell. Her green eyes widened with fright.

"I am going to rid this world of Dark Water for once and for all!" Ren cried, raising the staff to strike.

"That face!" Tula gasped, backing up into Niddler. She lifted her hands to Ren. "No, Ren! Wait!"

He struck the bell with the tuning staff with all his might. The sound that reverberated all throughout the temple was not a sound of happiness, but a sound of doom. The sound of the bell stabbed right between the eyes and pinched the brain to the point where it hurt like hell.

Ren stumbled backwards and the beast on the bell began to move. The demonic head lifted up and the mouth began to speak with a distorted voice. "It worked. The little fool did it!" Blood red wings of darkest night began to flap. "Thank you ever so much, my boy." Ren tried to jump back, but the beast snatched him in his talons and howled with eerie laughter that hurt the bones.

"This isn't possible!" Ren yelled at the monster, struggling to free himself. "What have I done?"

His cry made the beast laugh even harder and then it began to stretch its wings and sigh with pleasure as it did so. "My goodness, it has been nearly seventeen years since last I've been able to stretch my wings like this." The demon beast screeched, flapping its wings to their full expanse. "You have no idea what it felt like being trapped for all that time. IT WAS BORING!"

"Who are you?" Ren asked, pushing with his feet to break the beast's hold. "What the hell do you want?"

"I am Kiroptus." The beast answered him. "And I am after the same thing you are. THE THIRTEEN TREASURES OF RULE! While your job is to collect the treasures…my job is to get rid of them." Glowing red eyes burned into Ren's with pure malevolence. "I really wanna bite your pretty little head face off."

"I don't understand," Ren struggled all the more, fighting with the monsters talons. "My father said…"

"Ah, yes!" Kiroptus howled with evil delight. "Your daddy! What did dear old daddy say? Give us a moment to remember." Kiroptus' face began to change, melt, and morph into that of Ren's father. The face of King Primus spoke with a deep distorted voice. "Beware my son. Many dangers await you."

Ren gasped and pointed. "IT WAS YOU? YOU TRICKED ME!"

The face of King Primus morphed and changed into that of Ren's face. "IT WAS YOU!" Then the face morphed into that of some kind of animal Ren had never seen before. "YOU TRICKED ME!" Kiroptus laughed even harder has his face morphed back to that of a fanged beast.

"You just had to go and free the demon!" A loud voice shrieked from the entrance to the chamber. "I thought I'd never have to hear that ugly voice again. Just don't make him sing or we'll all be slitting our wrists."

Kiroptus laughed and squeezed Ren a little tighter. "Quit struggling and give me your compass, brat!"

"I'd rather die a virgin!" Ren shouted, ripping the compass from around his neck and holding it away from Kiroptus.

With Kiroptus occupied, Tula used this chance to stab the demon in the tail with one of the tuning forks. Kiroptus wailed, dropping Ren flat on his ass.

"Everyone get your ignorant asses under here!" The chief yelled, running underneath the bell. "Wrinkle-nuts won't dare touch the bell."

Ren, Tula, and Niddler ran for it.

"I knew this thing was good for something," Niddler squawked, keeping low and more to the center of the bell.

Ren swung his sword at a shrieking Kiroptus. "Come a little closer, coward!"

Kiroptus laughed. "Coward? I'm not the one hiding under the bell!"

"Wrinkle-nuts knows that if he touches the bell, it will pull him back inside again," the chief said, making faces at the demon. "Come on. Come get me!"

"Run for it!" Ioz yelled, being chased into the main room by the two guards he had sent spinning around in the air, only to freeze like he'd ran face first into a stone wall. "What the fuck is that ugly thing?"

"Greetings, insects!" Kiroptus laughed. He flapped his wings, ready to attack.

The two guards wasted no time. "GET HIM!" They both shouted at the same time, banging their staffs against the ground, shooting red hot beams of light at the demon, striking him full in the chest multiple times.

Kiroptus screeched in pain, flapping higher and away from them. He spun around to face Ren with blazing red eyes. "You win this round, Son of Primus! Next time I won't be so nice!" He flapped his wings and soared upwards, smashing through the beautifully decorated dome of yellow glass.

Ren fell to his knees, feeling like a fool. _How could I have allowed myself to be tricked so easily? I don't understand. It was the compass. The compass…how could it be so easily influenced? I was told it would never steer me wrong…"_

"Ren?" Tula asked as Ioz ran up.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake under their feet as more yellow glass fell down around their heads.

Niddler ducked down with claws over his head. "He's attacking already?"

"No!" The chief shouted as the two guards raced to his side to protect him. He pointed up towards the roof. "Someone is teleporting in…but this isn't normal."

Ren lifted his head and saw a swirling blue vortex appear a hundred feet in the air. It was bright and spinning faster than any whirlpool he'd ever seen at sea. Cerulean lightning flashed from the center of the spinning void and something white and flowing appeared from out of the center with all the lightning. It looked like some kind of bed sheet or something.

"Is that a person?" Tula asked.

Ren's compass began to glow and the topaz blue beam shone straight at the floating object in the air. "A treasure!" He cried, rising to his feet, not feeling as defeated anymore.

Just then the vortex vanished and the sheet floated away, revealing a human being floating in midair on their back…and then…gravity worked. The human began to fall like a stone.

Ren moved swiftly and jumped six feet in the air, grabbed the person in his arms, and landed with a tuck and roll. He ended up flat on his back with the wind knocked from his lungs with the person on top of him.

Ioz, Tula, and Niddler raced over and looked down.

"Are you okay?" Tula asked.

"That was the best catch I've ever seen, Ren," Ioz praised.

"Is he alive?" Niddler asked.

_He?_

Ren sat up and pulled the man into his lap. The long red hair had confused him at first. He'd thought it had been a girl. He gently brushed the man's shimmering red strands from his pale face and realized that the guy was younger looking than he was.

Blue eyes widened just a little bit. Ren suddenly felt this really warm sensation in his chest. It was almost like he knew this guy.

Pale white skin, long red hair mixed with gold highlights, bone structure to die for…and a Treasure of Rule around his smooth neck.

"Hey," Ren said, gently shaking the stranger. "Are you okay?"

The boy didn't move a muscle. There was just the slow rise and fall of his slender chest.

"Strange clothes," Ioz commented. "And he has a treasure, Ren."

"And that smell," Tula said, leaning down closer to sniff more. "I've never smelled perfume like that before…" She closed her eyes with pleasure.

"Excuse me boys and girls," the chief said, walking up with his guards. He had a seriously disapproving look on his wrinkled, big eared face. "I'm so sorry to break up this…well, whatever the hell this is, but we have a crisis on our hands. There is a demon on the loose who wants to murder us all in our sleep or while we're awake…or while we're in the bath…or taking a shit…"

"We get the point!" Niddler yelled.

"Well, it is your fault this happened!" He yelled over the monkey-bird. "You will follow me now!"

Ren nodded. "I agree. This is my fault. I will fix it."

"Ren!" Ioz snapped, but Ren silenced him with a gaze. The pirate lowered his head and sighed. "You're right."

He rose to his feet with the young man in his muscular arms. He couldn't be any older than he was. While the four of them followed after the chief of Banjamaar, he gazed down at the unconscious boy and whispered, "Who are you? Where did you come from…and why do you have a treasure?"

He had to agree with Tula though. The boy smelled divine.

**To be continued…**

Please review and tell me what you think.

~Flora

**Special note:** I would like to give credit and a special thanks to . This website is where I found background information about Banjamaar and their protective circle of stones.


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